Social Media Resources
While social media can be a tool for connection, it can also contribute to stress and anxiety. To protect yourself online, Nova Southeastern University’s Title IX Office encourages you to:
- Be mindful of what you share: Once posted, content can be archived or shared without your consent.
- Limit access: Avoid anonymous posts, accepting invitations from strangers, and public account settings.
- Report concerns: Use available resources to report harmful or inappropriate content.
Protecting Yourself
- StopBullying.gov is a website managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services which offers extensive information about preventing and addressing cyberbullying and other forms of bullying.
- A Technology Safety & Privacy Toolkit is offered by the National Network to End Domestic Violence, with information about basic technology safety, location tracking, stalkerware, devices, and apps.
- Technology Safety tips are offered by the Victim Connect Resource Center. This includes information about passwords, identity control and unwanted calls.
- Internet Safety tips for victims of domestic or dating violence are offered by the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
Social Media User Guidelines
To better understand your rights and responsibilities as a social media user, please review the terms of service and help center resources for popular platforms. These resources provide information on reporting misuse and protecting your privacy.
Remember, in addition to blocking users, you can report their behavior to the platform's administrators.- Directs users to reach out to the server’s moderators for issues that happen on a server, and provides instructions to block any users you don’t want to interact with anymore. If something happened in a Direct Message or contacting the moderators doesn’t help, there is a Report Form.
- Specifically indicates they will "remove content that's meant to degrade or shame, including, for example, claims about someone's sexual personal activity.”
- Created in collaboration with anti-bullying organizations, acknowledges that context is important when determining whether a comment is bullying or joking
- Prohibits credible threats, hate speech, threatening to post intimate images, and content that targets people to degrade or shame them
- Link to Instagram's built-in reporting option. You can still make a report even without an account.
- Information about how to delete and turn off comments, which is useful if posting information publicly.
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Users can report any violation of their Content Policy or a community’s rules, or block a specific account by:
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On the iOS or Android app, report a post or comment by tapping the … menu then selecting Report.
- On the web, report a post or comment by clicking on the Report button underneath it.
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- Link to the in-app reporting feature or reporting form
- Community Guidelines provide a common code of conduct to promote a welcoming space at TikTok
- Describes Abusive Behavior, defined as "an attempt to harass, intimidate, or silence someone else’s voice.”
Understanding Defamation, Libel, and Slander
When a law has been broken, there may be options for recourse available. However, not every mean comment posted online rises to the level of a violation of the law. Understanding where these boundaries are can help students learn about the options that may be available to them outside of the university's policies and procedures.
Speaking Out about Sexual Assault
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) provides links to several guides for those considering speaking out publicly about their own experiences with sexual violence.